sosarizona.org [sosarizona.org]
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Hi John,
We are devastated to send this email, but we want to update you on our state legislative races. While we fought valiantly to flip the balance of power at the state legislature and our organizers and volunteers left everything on the field in this pursuit, in the end the downballot impacts of the Presidential race and MAGA turnout proved too much to combat here in Arizona.
It appears as of today that we will fall short of our goal to tie or flip the state legislature in order to finally advance pro-public education policy and to protect our students and educators. It is deeply painful to share this news, particularly knowing the sweeping changes that President-elect Trump plans for public education (read this excellent, but terrifying summary [[link removed]] from the AZ Mirror). Arizona will continue to have some protection from the MAGA-run, extremist legislature in Gov. Hobbs’ veto powers, but advancing policies to help our students, including public education funding, voucher reform, protections for LGBTQ students, and common sense gun reform, are most likely out of reach.
Several races are still too close to call and ballots are still being cured (helping voters to confirm their signatures so their votes are counted), so we will send final results next week. For now, you can view legislative election results here [[link removed]] . Our field teams and volunteers have been hard at work to cure ballots in an attempt to salvage some of these extremely close races.
When we said many races would be decided by just a handful of votes, we meant it — and that’s why we stress the importance of knocking doors and calling voters to persuade and inform. Thank you to all of you who joined in and sacrificed your time to do this critical work. It was not in vain.
It is important to celebrate our wins, and we are so proud to announce that our coalition’s efforts have protected many, many school boards across Arizona from being overtaken by Moms 4 Liberty endorsed candidates (with, sadly, a few exceptions like Peoria and Deer Valley). Preserving pro-public education majorities significantly protects students, especially the most vulnerable, and it stops culture war attacks, book bans, and more. This is essential to protecting students and educators, but also to protecting democracy at one of the most important and local levels. We are incredibly proud of the work we have done to protect school boards across Arizona, and our work will continue to support and strengthen them.
In addition, the majority of bonds and override measures have passed statewide. However, several defeats in areas like Chandler, Deer Valley, Dysart, Agua Fria, Yuma, Isaac, and Buckeye will significantly hurt local school budgets and students, and limit educational opportunities. We will send a full update on all of these races once they are finalized. We were so proud to help community groups across the state to pass these measures, and grateful to voters in many districts for understanding the importance of school funding and voting yes.
We are devastated, but remain eternally grateful to YOU — our volunteers and supporters. We led a massive field effort in coalition with the ADLCC, AZ List, and many other partner organizations that was larger than any grassroots field effort ever seen in Arizona. We talked to over one million voters, and had incredible conversations that will ultimately create a better Arizona
When we formed SOSAZ, many of us had elementary age students who are now in college. Others had preschoolers who are now in middle school. None of our children will ever experience a fully or equitably funded K-12 education in Arizona, but that’s not who or what we are fighting for. We are fighting for the future, for millions of students who deserve better NOW and also for decades and centuries to come. We will stay in the fight, and we hope you will redouble your efforts and resolve to fight with us.
This week’s setbacks cannot be overstated. Our public schools and our democracy are at great risk. For now — please take care of yourselves, find some pockets of joy in the small things, and bolster yourselves for the battles ahead. We will never back down or let anyone hurt our students without a fight — so there will be many battles.
As Rebecca Solnit wrote this week: [[link removed]] “Hope does not mean saying this is not bad, and it does not mean saying that we can defeat it. It just means saying we will keep showing up. That we will not give up. That we will assess our powers and weaknesses and recognise that the future we face looks grim, but we do not know how it will unfold, and neither do those we oppose. How it will unfold depends in no small part on what we do. People too often think hope is smiles and sunshine, when it’s fury in the face of danger and oppression, and pressing on in the storm .”
With appreciation and solidarity,
Team SOSAZ
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Contact Us
[email protected]
Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States
Paid for by Save Our Schools Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate.
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